Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Friday called for deeper China-Russia energy cooperation as he co-chaired the 23rd meeting of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.

Ding, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said since the committee's previous meeting, energy trade between China and Russia has steadily expanded, major landmark cooperation projects have progressed smoothly and new progress has been made in clean energy cooperation..

Ding proposed consolidating existing achievements in energy cooperation, actively and properly addressing the concerns of enterprises, maintaining the long-term sustainable development of oil and gas trade, and advancing the orderly construction and stable operation of energy projects.

He called on the two countries to actively explore new areas and directions for energy cooperation, tap the potential of cooperation in cutting-edge fields, explore the mutual empowerment of artificial intelligence and energy, and continuously expand the breadth and depth of energy cooperation.

The Chinese vice premier also called for working together to advance reform of the global energy governance system and make greater contributions to safeguarding energy security and promoting sustainable development in both countries and around the world.

Novak said Russia-China energy cooperation has continued to produce new results under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders, contributing to the rapid growth of bilateral trade and the stability of energy supply chains. Russia is ready to work with China to optimize existing projects and expand cooperation into new areas, he said.

The two sides reviewed cooperation in oil, natural gas, coal, electricity, renewable energy and nuclear power, and exchanged views on future cooperation. They reached broad consensus and signed the meeting minutes afterward.

(Cover: Technicians maintain the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, December 17, 2023. /VCG)